Volume 3 Chapter 18 The Power of Beans
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Preschool is a non-stop parade of events. I suppose I only feel that way because I spent my previous life’s desk-job days in a gray, repetitive blur. One moment we’re hiking up a mountain, the next we’re up to our elbows in a field. Today is an agricultural experience¹. We’ve invaded a sweet potato patch owned by a local farmer near the kindergarten. The ridges are already perfectly tilled, with seedlings laid out at even intervals. We stand by our plants, following the instructions of the Doctor.
”Everyone, show me your palms! Good! Now, dig a hole deep enough to hide that hand completely!”
We don’t have shovels, so we dig with our bare hands. The soil is soft and yields easily; my hands sink in without resistance. I push the dirt aside gently, carving out a little pocket for my seedling.
”Hyah! Oh! It’s stuck! Makoto, I’m stuck!”
To my left, Jun is boisterously thrusting his arms-not just his hands-into the ridge. (Is he digging or performing an exorcism?) On my other side, Suu-chan and Shiho-chan are working with grim determination. “Heave… ho… heave… ho…” they grunt.
”Maa-kun, I’m done,” said Suu.
”Nice work. It’s perfect,” Makoto replied.
”Shiho is done too!”
”You’re a natural, Shiho-chan,” said Makoto.
”Ehehe~”
Watching a proud Suu-chan and a beaming Shiho-chan is pure therapy. Then there’s the other one.
”Makoto! How’s this!”
”…You dug too deep,” said Makoto.
”Whaaa!?”
Despite being told to dig a palm’s depth, Jun had gone as deep as he could reach. The seedling would be buried alive, and the ridge itself was on the verge of a structural collapse.
”Let’s fix it,” Makoto said, helping him level the dirt. I grabbed Jun’s hand and forced it into a fist to punch a properly sized hole.
”Makoto! How about now!”
”Yeah, that’ll do,” said Makoto. (Still a bit deep, but the adults can deal with the fallout later.)
”Now, tuck the potatoes in with a soft blanket of soil,” the Doctor directed. “And finally, let’s give our little potato-sans plenty of water!”
”””Grow big~, grow big~!”””
I wonder if we’ll harvest these ourselves later. I’m actually looking forward to it.
* * *
In the afternoon, following our nap, we are single-mindedly shelling broad beans. We pluck the pods from the stalks and pry them open.
”Makoto! Let’s see who can peel more!”
”You’re on. Go grab us… four stalks,” Makoto replied.
”Got it!”
Jun hasn’t changed; he’ll turn anything into a contest. I feel a bit bad for sending him on an errand, but he looks happy. Besides, for kids with this much restless energy, giving them a mission is the best way to keep them in line. Children and subordinates really are the same.
”Maa-kun, I can’t do it…”
Suu-chan scooted closer, holding a pod like a broken toy. I could see the scratch marks where she’d tried to dig her nails into the seam but kept slipping. Tiny hands just don’t have the leverage.
”Try it like this. It’s easy,” Makoto said. I grabbed both ends of the bean and twisted it like wringing a towel. The pod split down the middle, and the beans popped out. I slid my finger through the gap to clear the rest.
”Ooh!”
She stared with pure reverence and started clapping. (Thank you, thank you.)
”Makoto-kun, Shiho wasn’t looking! Do it again!”
”Makoto! Are you cheating!?”
”I’m not. Go get a fresh one and I’ll show you,” Makoto said.
I gave a second demonstration for Shiho-chan and Jun.
”Awesome!”
”It worked! Shiho did it!”
Once they caught the knack, the three of them started tearing through the beans. I worried they’d leave nothing for the rest of the class, but there was still a mountain of pods left.
Still…
”Suu-chan, aren’t you a little close?”
”……?”
(Well, whatever.)
Lately, her personal space bubble seems to have vanished. She was leaning so far into me that it was getting hard to move. I tried to shimmy over, but she followed me like a shadow, eventually resting her head lightly against my shoulder. She’s incredibly cute, but I wonder if this is “proper decorum” for a young lady.
The Doctor boiled the fresh beans immediately, serving them on paper plates for our snack.
”So good!”
”Yeah!”
Even Suu-chan and Shiho-chan were eating without complaint. A few kids were making faces, but most were diving in. I hadn’t realized they were such fans of vegetables. Maybe it’s the salt. Or maybe there’s just something special about eating something you “helped” make.
However, the boy next to me was at a total standstill.
”Hey, Jun, aren’t you eating? They’re good,” Makoto said.
Despite being the type to turn snack time into a speed-eating match, he was just glaring at the beans in a tense standoff.
”I heard that if you eat beans… they’ll grow out of your stomach…”
””!? “”
Suu-chan and Shiho-chan froze mid-chew. (Dammit, Jun! You’re traumatizing them!)
”Who told you that?” Makoto asked.
”Ko-niichan is…”
(Of course. Big Brother Ko strikes again.)
”They aren’t going to grow in there, Jun. Trust me,” Makoto said.
”Really?”
”Yeah. Really, really.”
”Mmm…”
He picked one up, still skeptical. It’s hard to beat a big brother’s authority.
”Actually, Jun, you love daifuku², right?”
”Yeah! The stretchy-boingy ones! I could eat ten of ’em!”
”That’s way too many. But do you know what’s inside them?”
”Duh! Red bean paste! The sweet stuff!”
”Exactly. And that paste is made from… beans,” Makoto said.
”!?”
Jun immediately hiked up his shirt to inspect his belly. (Hey, watch it, have some modesty!)
”See? Nothing growing out, right?”
”””……”””
Not just Jun, but the girls were now poking and prodding his belly too. (Not that they’d feel a sprout through the skin.)
”Everyone else is eating them and they’re fine. Just try one, Jun,” Makoto said.
”…Okay.”
He gingerly popped one into his mouth. He chewed slowly, then his eyes snapped wide. “Oh! This is actually great!”
He started shoveling them in, and the girls resumed their snack as well.
”Makoto! Let’s see who can eat the most!”
”Let’s just take our time and enjoy them,” Makoto replied.
”Aww, man!”
(I wonder if they’ve ever heard of favism³-broad bean poisoning? Probably not something we need to worry about much in Japan, but I’m definitely worried about him getting a regular old stomachache.)
”You know, if you eat too many, they might actually sprout.”
”””!? “””
(Ah. Crap. I broke them again.)
—
Summary:
Makoto and his classmates participate in a sweet potato planting session and later shell broad beans for a snack. A childhood superstition about beans growing in the stomach causes a brief panic. Makoto uses the logic of bean paste in sweets to convince them to eat.
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Trivia:
- Makoto compares children to subordinates, highlighting his past life experience.
- Suu-chan is becoming noticeably clingy toward Makoto.
- Jun’s brother Ko is the source of much of Jun’s misinformation.
- The ‘Hospital Doctor’ is an unusual title used by the narrator for the teacher/staff
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Character Insight:
Makoto demonstrates his ability to manage children’s group dynamics using logic and small rewards/challenges. His adult perspective provides a wry commentary on typical kindergarten activities.
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Behind the Scenes:
The author often includes realistic childhood myths to ground the slice-of-life elements in nostalgia.
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TL Notes:
Notes:
• Makoto – A 93 cm, 13 kg three‑year‑old boy in a neat shirt and cap, gentle‑looking yet actually a 30‑year‑old reincarnated salaryman. He lives with the Totsuka family, his mother works, and protects Suzuka‑chan. In Hinomori Kindergarten’s Rose Group he uses a booster seat, has short hair and a backpack, and wields adult memories, analytical skill, high dexterity, stock tricks and magic.
• Shiho – Three‑year‑old Rose‑Class girl, shoulder‑length hair in a side‑up ponytail, easily excited by decorations and food. Uses training chopsticks and a white kitten‑themed placemat, often sleepy and leans on Makoto’s “secret” advice. Older sister in the senior group, attends monthly extended childcare, shares a quiet, competitive bond with Suu over Makoto’s attention, and is a neighbor and friend of Yuma.
• Jun – An energetic, restless boy in the Rose Class, the youngest of three brothers who all attended the same kindergarten. He shows extreme curiosity and surprising physical strength, often needing Makoto to rein him in. Competitive and prone to believing his brothers’ tall tales, he quiets when his intimidating mother watches, and his speech can be clumsy.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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